IllustrationON MAR 10 2001 CONSUMER WAS READY TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC WITH FOOT ON BRAKE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED, AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. VEHICLE ACCELERATED ONCE BEFORE IN 1999, BUT THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT.
1997 Kia Sephia
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Kia Sephia do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 107.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sephia years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 15 of 205 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 72 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
30 crash reports5 fire reports20 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
8 reportsWHILE DRIVING ABOUT ANY MPH VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT A PRIOR WARNING.CONSUMER WILL STEP ON BRAKES PEDAL TO STOP ACCELERATION, BUT VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP, AND CONCERNED ABOUT FACT OF AN ACCIDENT.*AK TRANSMISSION FAILED. BRAKES MAKE NOISE DUE TO ROTOR FAILURE. WIPER BLADES FAILED. BATTERY FAILED. *YH
VEHICLE STALLS AT ANY SPEED. CONSUMER HAD BRAKES/ROTORS AND IDLE CONTROL VALVE REPLACED. *AK
AT VARIOUS SPEEDS OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHES OFF AND LOSES POWER. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES, AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM.*AK AFTER THE 7TH TIME DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE SENSOR AND THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE. *YH
VEHICLE SURGES BY ITSELF, AND THEN STALLS. CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. *AK
WARPED FRONT AND REAR ROTORS/ INTERMITTENT STALLING. REPLACED STARTER/BATTERY/THROTTLE BODY/STARTER MOTOR AND ADJUSTED TIMING GEAR AND CHAIN. *AK
WHEN APPLYING ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO MAKE A TURN, THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. PLEASE PORVIDE DETAILS. *AK
CONSUMER EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE PARTLY STALLING, AND WITHIN SECONDS THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE. VEHICLE BEEN IN/OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT CONDITION STILL OCCURS. *AK
Official recalls
102V216000 · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly
Aug 16, 2002
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE MAY "FALSE LATCH" AND EXPOSE THE DRIVER TO UNRESTRAINED MOVEMENT DURING A CRASH.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy: OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 20, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE02051 · Safety Belt Buckle Malfunction
Opened Jun 17, 2002 · Closed Sep 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly
BY LETTER DATED AUGUST 25, 2002, KIA ADVISED NHTSA THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WILL BE RECALLED.SPECIFIC CORRECTIVE ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY KIA HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED TO NHTSA AT THIS TIME.THE SAFETY RECALL PROGRAM HAS BEEN ASSIGNED CAMPAIGN NO. 02V-216.